Pocket Watch
by Harmonize Insanity
Summary: She fingered the pocket watch nervously, watching as time slowly began to stop around her, as a voice in the distance calls out the seconds ticking by. Ten seconds until it was all over, ten seconds until everything detonated. Ten seconds to skip through time, one second to die. Claire gripped the watch even tighter.
1. The Watch

"Isn't it simply marvelous? To think this is where all of our collected research has ended up after all these years, she better work out!"

On and on, will that man ever keep quiet? A small sigh escaped the woman as she slipped off her lab coat, the white fabric reflecting brightly off the golden afternoon sun dripping through the window. Really now, why was she going through with this? The machine was still a prototype, there was no real certainty it would even work. Yet, here she was, the assistant to two rather ambitious scientists working to leap through time. A childish notion to most, but to think that the years of hard work might just be payed off…it was rather exciting.

"We'll make history with our invention, will we not, Claire? History—!"

The loud smack sounded through the air as Bill threw his rather thick pile of research material down on the desk. He always got like this when it came to the subject of their work—he was the man giving most of the funding for it, after all. The woman couldn't help but just shrug off his attitude—he was more concerned about it working than who was going to test it out. It was rather strange, that she was going to be the first person to test out this time machine. Oh, how excited she was, yet how nervous, her hands were shaking in the slightest with worry.

So many outtcomes to this whole experiment, Claire only knew too well of all of them. Death, being the worst. Now, that was an unsettling thought. Claire found her hand shoved into her pant pocket, the familiar touch of the pocket watch rubbing against her finger tips soothing her shaking hands. Hershel…he would have tried to talk her out of this by now, wouldn't he? He was persistent at times, quite the smart man….Hershel Layton, the man whom she loved with her life.

"Claire? Are you alright?"

A rough hand landed on her shoulder, a concerned flash of Bill's face appearing over in the corner of her eye as she sighed weakly. He was still wearing his lab coat, spectacles in place over his rather large face, blue eyes gleaming with concern for her. Blinking, she nodded, and removed his hand from her shoulder. The warmth of his hand seeped into her own, it felt rather nice to be perfectly honest. No, she couldn't back away now, not when Bill had promised this prototype was the best of the best. As long as this 'prototype' managed to work, they would start perfecting it, the three of them. For now, it was the real deal…this was it.

"Bill…where's Dimitri?"

His eyes flickered in the slightest as he nodded his head to the side, a rather peculiar expression over his features. As if he was surprised she was asking of this, the look instantly made the woman feel uncomfortable. Thankfully, he answered her question, instead of leaving her hanging.

"Dimitri is on his way, don't worry. I told him we're going ahead with the experiment, don't worry about that. Are you ready?"

A deep breath, her hands dipping into her pockets as casually as possible. Claire took one step forward, two, three, advancing towards the large machine huddled near the front of the room, up against the outer wall of the building. What a work of art this prototype was, it was truly beautiful on the outside. A large, roman numeral clock hanging above the main entrance, with an almost sleek look to the outside. It was rather bulky overall, but a rather nice show piece for a history maker. At least, hopefully it was going to make history.

"Ready whenever you are, Bill."

She scaled up the steps, entering the rather hot confinements of the machine, and flipped around on one foot, smiling gently as always. No, she wasn't all that nervous, she was actually quite excited. Yet, no matter how many times she thought of Hershel…she seemed to get a tad scared of what was to come. Bill was trust worthy though, she had been both his and Dimitri's assistant for several years now, they were like family. Bill wouldn't let her be the first human test subject if he knew there was a high possibility of this prototype blowing up, right?

The door to the time machine began to raise up, ever so slowly as the golden world outside was swallowed up. Claire's smile faded as soon as the door was past her head, the familiar sounds of the door locking echoed within the chamber, vibrating through her chest. Now it was just the count down, that was how they rehearsed it, right? Count down from ten, let the energy build up and let the machine do the rest. The darkness encasing her was rather frightening, the only thing that seemed to be keeping her company was the familiar ticking of the pocket watch.

_Tick, tick, tick, tick…._

"Ten!"

Claire gasped, the sound of Bill's voice calling to her making her jump, the watch almost falling out of her pocket. She pulled it out, fumbling with it as clicks resounded outside the machine, switches bringing life to the machine. Lights flickered on around her, illuminating her world as nervous finger tips clicked open the watch, time still flowing correctly within the chamber. She sighed in relief, slowly sinking to her knees to sit down. It probably wasn't the safest of moves, but who really knew what was safe and what wasn't at this point, working with time?

"Nine!"

A loud, continuous hum resonated in the space, everything slowly starting to build up energy and rattle from a deep slumber. The watch kept ticking though, her hands slowly caressing the glass as more switches were pulled, the very familiar sounds of the equipment lurching to life filling her ears. Yet, that was the farthest thing from her mind now.

"Eight!"

Deep breath in, deep breath out, keep calm and carry on. That seemed to be a very useful phrase right about now, trying not to lose her calm in a place like this. It wasn't like she could back away from this now, time was ever moving forward.

"Seven!"

Another loud hum began to sound, a much higher pitch than the first one. Claire closed her eyes tightly, her mind escaping the noise of her prison and entering her own little time machine to the past—back to Hershel's side. The sight of his smiling face seemed to calm her down, her grip on the watch loosening.

"_Oh, do you really like it?"_

Back in that little restaurant again, back to that little day that felt oh-so long ago now. There he was again, nervously fingering his tea cup over and over again with anticipation as her own hands gripped cool metal, a golden pocket watch catching the light of day.

"Six!"

"_I don't just like it, I love it!"_

Her own voice replied this time, murmuring the lines as her past self chimed them merrily, a laugh escaping the memory's lips. The ticking matched perfectly with the watch at that second, the nostalgia almost too much for Claire to bare. She smiled softly, almost to herself as she rubbed the glass for the hundredth time, watching the little handle start to tick slower and slower

"Five!"

The watch stopped ticking now, it's inner gears suddenly rendered useless. One hit, two hits, three hard hits against her knee, and still, the watch wouldn't move. What a shame…she loved this watch so much, this little gift from Hershel. Now it was broken, at one of the worst times in doing so. Maybe it was the machine that caused it, timedidstop and shift within this chamber.

"Four!"

Gripping the watch, she crammed it back into her pocket, crossing her legs neatly under her. Only a few more seconds until he flicked the switch, throwing the trio's years of hard work into motion. To think so many years were poured into just a few seconds…

"Hershel…"

The name came out of her mouth quietly, her lover's name almost like a replacement to the steady ticking of the watch, the last thing that seemed to have been keeping her sane. Say it again, say it again, don't lose yourself, think of his face, his smile, his words.

"Three!"

"_Hershel_..."

"Two!"

"Take good care of that hat I gave you."

"One!"

"I love you."

Black.


	2. Awaken

Darkness, absolute darkness. Engulfed in it, it was to the point that she wanted to scream out, try and run into the light, but no light could be found. Footholds seemed to be nonexistent, her body drifting in zero gravity for however long she was trapped in this never ending pit. Oh, but the silence, the silence bore a hole into her heart, amplifying her fears, magnifying them to full volume as she tried to move, tried to escape.

One step.

Two steps.

Three.

Wait, was there ground? Claire gasped, the air escaping her lungs as her back slammed into something hard, her nerves electrified with so many different sensations that she couldn't process them all at once. Cold, rough stone against her back, her heart beating erotically in her chest, making her gasp for life as cool air rushed into her lungs, making her shiver violently. Voices now, there were voices, calling to her from the deep, pulling her out of the oceans with each word, a fish being pulled out of water.

"_Claire…Claire…? Speak to me, are you alright? Claire—!"_

Eyes refused to open, something within the woman was actually too scared to open them. Now that the world had suddenly returned to her, she was almost scared to see what happened. Slowly, ever so slowly, she forced herself to open her eyes, a pure white light filling her vision. For a few seconds, it blinded her, until a dark shadow cut it off, a figure hovering over her. Blinking, her gaze focused upon a man, wearing an all white suit, with a scarf around his neck and a white hat on his head, blocking out his facial features. Just who was this man…?

"W-Who…are you…?"

Still shaken, she tried to sit up, propping herself up on her elbows, and found herself too weak to even do that. A pair of arms caught her from falling over again, the man's voice sounding out much clearer than the first time she heard him.

"Claire, don't over do it right now, you're unstable here…are you alright?"

No, wait a second, that voice—! She _knew_ that voice, how on earth could she forget? Claire's eyes widened as he laid her down again, still hovering over her in a cautious manner.

"D-Dimitri…?"

Dimitri Allen gave a rather sad smile, his face starting to become visible under the dark contrasting shadows of his hat, eyes full of relief.

"Still recognize me even though I've aged, Claire?"

She gave a small nod, closing her eyes for a few seconds to keep them from becoming too dry. She couldn't stop staring at his face, the way he talked, the way he was even speaking to her. It was almost as if…she had traveled through _time_, and was speaking to him. Wait, time, _time_—!

"How many years?"

The man gave a puzzled expression, silence filling the air until Claire extended her hand, tugging lightly on his jacket sleeve. She closed her eyes, repeating her words with more force this time.

"How many years have passed since the experiment, Dimitri?"

Again, with the silence. God dammit, would he ever speak up? Claire's grip loosened on his jacket, feeling the life being sucked out of her. Strange, why was her hand brighter in the light than it usually was? She couldn't lift her head, it felt like a giant block of lead got attached and hung in place, leaving her immobile.

"…ten years, Claire."

His voice was barely above a whisper, the strain of every word hitting her. She had been gone for ten years…? But, did she ever return to the time machine? Why would Dimitri seem so sad, if she had returned? Fear set in, encasing her already nervous heart in it's palm and threatening to end it all with one hard squeeze.

"Dimitri…"

"Yes, Claire…?"

"I didn't come back, did I."

Silence.

It filled the air once more, fear squeezing that much harder against her heart, making it almost impossible for her to breathe again. Apparently he could tell that she was scared, and lifted his hand, gently touching her cheek, rubbing it quietly. Oh, if only she knew of the truth right now, what would her reaction be? What would her reaction be, if she knew of the devastation that fell upon so many lives that day, ten years ago? It made him wonder, sadness filling his soul once more.

"The time machine was thought of as a complete failure…the chamber couldn't handle the pressure of the worm hole and—"

"It detonated?"

Her interruption caught him off guard, his rather fragile state suddenly loosening, grief filling his expression. Once more, now, she tried to raise her body up, to try and comfort her friend, but…energy seemed to be fading quickly from her body, her limbs feeling like they were being rendered useless by gravity.

"The time machine…detonated…with you inside it. I-I found your body, Claire, you were—"

He stopped, a large blast of steam escaping his lips as he gave out a heavy, strained sigh into the cool air. The condensed moisture floating off into the atmosphere as his body physically tensed, hands shaking lightly. Rendered speechless, Claire just lay there, watching helplessly as Dimitri tried to keep himself from falling apart for what strangely felt like the second time.

"B-But don't worry, Claire, I won't let that happen! I'll try to keep you here, in this time, keep you from your death, don't worry! I-I'll save you—!"

Dimitri was shaking his head, voice wavering on the edge of sadness now. Save…save her? The time machine was in that little building complex, people lived there, she even spoke with a young man whom kept greeting her in the morning—Klaus was the name. If the time machine really detonated…what happened to everyone? She sat up, her body screaming in protest in the rather sudden movement, but she fought against it, gripping his shoulder roughly, just like a certain scientist did.

"Dimitri, _don't_—"

The world suddenly lurched, that cold, solid foundation slipping from underneath her, colors whirling by as she fell backwards, everything going into a blur, voices muffled as her world once again went out.

"_Clair...? Claire….Claire…! CLAIRE!"_

Claire couldn't hear him at first, the ocean swallowing her whole and suddenly spitting her back out again, the light quickly seeping through her closed eyelids. Slowly, very slowly, she opened her eyes once more.


	3. Realization

Light, light, how wonderful it was to finally see light again. The warmth was pleasurable, a familiar scent of tea swirling about in the air. Tea, tea, she knew this tea, it smelled so painfully familiar. _Rosemary..._ah, that was it, Rosemary! The scent of Rosemary and old books overwhelmed her senses, nearly forcing her back into the greedy arms of sleep.

_Ten years, Claire..._

Chocolate brown eyes flew open, widening as they locked onto their target-the wood ceiling above her head. Slowly softening, she let her gaze begin to travel, attempting to gain her bearings of the place. A sofa, she was one somebodies sofa, which felt plush and molded remarkably to her back, another force trying to pull her into sleep. With a soft moan, she managed to pull herself up, hands gripping the sides as she closed her eyes, feeling the momentum get to her weary head within seconds. Had she passed out? Or maybe had a bad dream, and thought she traveled ten years in the future. Perhaps Hershal was in the other room, the kitchen most likely, making her a cup of Rosemary before she headed out, like always.

_The time machine…detonated…_

Her hand grazed over the her pocket, a small gasp of surprise escaping her as she soon discovered her treasured item was not there. The watch_, her _watch-! Where was her watch?! Standing up, she began to look around, eyes darting widly about the room as they tried to take in every visible object before her, forming an image of the room. A dark blue sofa, the small floor rug, wooden floors and a wooden ceiling. Paintings hung neatly on the walls, papers and books stacked around the building just like her own bedroom, a coffee table littered with even more books and papers lay to her right. Slowly she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down once more. Find the watch, Claire, find the watch. Slowly, she turned herself in a circle, doing a 360 of the room before pausing, a heavy sigh escaping her in defeat. No such luck.

"Where on earth is that watch..." she mumbled to herself, slowly weaving her way past the coffee table and into the main area of the room. It appeared she was in someone's living room, certainly not her own, a door way leading into the kitchen off to her left. Willing to take chances, she wandered in, eyes searching the room until falling onto their prey. The watch-! There it is! Hands slowly ran over the gold cover, nubby and worn like a book lovers-fingers nimble and used to such handling of both books and pen. A scientists hands, carefully cradling the said object.

Dimitri Allen sat in deafening silence, eyes locked upon the watch, not even noticing her entrance to into the room. Softly, he set it down, an almost weary sort of look flashing within his iris' as he caught sight of her. Eyes widening, he stood up, relief replacing the weariness in his body before she could even ask. "Claire, you're alright, I was worried...!" he flushed, arms extending into a hug as he embraced her, "I nearly thought you were fading on me, I'm so glad you woke up...! This is good...yes, yes, this is very good...!" he drew away, leaving the woman speechless as he swerved his way about the kitchen, trying to clear up any extra research materials and papers scattered about.

"D-Dimitri..." Claire found herself stumbling for the right words, completely lost as to what he was thinking when she spotted two cups of tea in his hands, one quiety being placed before an empty chair in front of her, the other placed where he was sitting. Noticing his beckoning, she pulled the chair back from it's place against the table, taking a seat as he plopped down in front of her, smiling rather giddily to himself. How happy he was, it was almost strange to see him so overjoyed about seeing her. It was just her, after all.

_I-I found your body, Claire, you were—_

The woman felt a hand drifting towards her mouth, the realization coming over her like a tidal wave. Their previous conversation was flowing back to her now, the talk, the truth, everything. How weak she felt, his words, the fear in his voice, all of it. Soundlessly, she glanced down into her lap, her mind desperately trying to take a hold of his words to pull herself out of the quicksand of her own memories. "...I can't believe you actually stabilize once you got here, Claire! I won't let you fade away this time, I'll find away to permanently stabilize you here and let you keep on living! You won't die, I...I...oh my, I'm rambling again, I'm so sorry-" Stabilize? Blinking, she shot up a curious eyebrow, trying to focus on what he was saying.

"Stabilize me?" she inquired, lost as to what Dimitri had been rambling on about while she basked in her own thoughts. Her body had felt weak when she first woke up, she could barely manage to think and speak clearly throughout that ordeal. Maybe...just maybe, that's what he was meaning?

"Yes...! You were unstable when I found you last night, like your body was trying to return to it's own time. Yet, you stabilized over the night, and you're still here-!" Dimitri was smiling to himself, like a little boy who had been granted allowance money to buy whatever he pleased, "I think because you are not from this time, your body was trying to take you back to ten years ago-your present. If I can manage to find a way to keep you here, instead of returning to that time, that day..." his hands quietly wrapped around the tea cup, his eyes staring at his reflection of the tea, still smiling, "Then...I can save you..." with nothing more to say, he sipped his tea, eyes closing as he let out a small hum of pleasure while doing so. Claire sat in silence, unable to even extend her hand to take a hold of the cup, her body seeming to freeze up instantaneously. He was...planning to do _what_!?

Standing up, she found herself turning away from the man, wandering towards the small window above the sink, gazing out at the scene before him. The streets were lined with people wandering too and fro, smiling and laughing just like the past. The sun was high in the sky, shining back down at her in golden rays, making her close her eyes wearily. "Dimitri, please..." the woman murmured, turning to once more face her old commerade and friend, shaking her head, "Don't...don't do this." A baffled sort of expression befell his face, his mouth opening up to object when she spoke out, much louder this time, "Dimitri, you can't seriously be thinking of doing that! You'll be altering the course of time-the course of _history_! Even if it is for one life,"

To think that she was dead in this time line...to think she had died ten years ago, yet was alive at this very second...it shook her to the core, the thought making her fumble with her words. "The flow of time _must_ remain linear, Dimitri. We are only _humans_, not God. There are some things mankind should not tamper with...we have all learned that lesson by my death in your past, am I correct?" Speechless, the man looked away, eyes almost listless in response to her words. Despite the tightness in her chest, she kept going, the overwhelming urge taking over her mind and heart, "Dimitri...I know you were my friend, I know that I have put you through a lot of pain by what happened that day-and am still putting you through pain right now, seeing me like this." Claire sighed to herself, hands gripping the counter behind her as she leaned heavily against it.

"But you know what could possibly happen if we change the flow of time, try to take the power of God into our own hands. It just can't be done." the woman looked back up at him, finding him with his eyes closed, hands gripping the tea cup tightly now. Claire took a few steps forward, hands pressing down on the small table as she leaned forwards, speaking sternly now, "Please, I'm begging you, Dimitri, leave this work behind you! Do not try to keep me here, I am dead now in history, aren't I? Even the fact that I am still alive before you now is altering the flow of time..." folding her arms, she took a step back, waiting for his response. The silence encased the two of them, filling the air like toxin, rotting away at her lungs as she did her best not to let out her emotions at him.

After what felt like years, Dimitri was looking back up at her-but not with a gaze of pity, only...only anger. "Claire." the man spoke her name softly, almost as if she had betrayed him at that moment, and stood up, eyes closing silently, his hands gripping the sides of the table. "I thought you would agree with me...why do you choose death over life?" The words nearly shoved her over the edge, a look of disbelief filling her face before she could help herself.

"Life over death? Dimitri, surely you're joking! I am not choosing life or death, I am choosing what is right! This has nothing to do with that!" her hands balled up into fists, voice raising to get her point strait-something in which she almost never does, "Yes, I am scared, terrified even, of death, but that does not mean I am not willing to make that choice for the sake of the rest of the world, to keep any more mistakes from happening." A look of sadness paused over her friends face, eyes once more staring down into that tea cup, this time filled with loss.

"...I see..." he murmured, softly, his voice turning bitter as he spoke, "I am sorry, Claire. I...I have to do this, I won't be able to bear the thought of losing you again to my mistakes, my faults. I am...I am fixing my wrongs, can't you see?" Dimitri raised his head, pity within his eyes, "I pray you shall understand...someday." Now it was her turn to be speechless, clearly overwhelmed with the topic at hand. Within a few steps, she had grabbed her watch, shoving it into her pocket as she exited the kitchen and made her way back into the living room. Hands dove through closets, behind papers and books in search of something, eyes emotionless in the process. She could hear him, stepping into the room with her, leaning against the sofa as she finally managed to locate a light blue scarf from the little closet, a white hat also being pulled out. To think that he had something like this in his possession was a mystery to her. "Are you...leaving?" he inquired, his voice weak.

"What else can I do? I have to do something. Something important." wrapping the scarf around her neck, she plopped the hat right over her head, her makeshift disguise now complete. Making her way to the door, she pulled it open, stepping into the hallway before pausing. Turning her head to the side, she only nodded, exclaiming, "I'm sorry, Dimitri. But I have to do this." before he could question, she was out the door, pulling it shut behind her. Quickly, she located a stair case, rushing down it and out the main door of the building, sunlight pouring down from above. Sighing in relief, she took a glance around them, beginning to head down the street with a stride of confidence. There was something she had to do, all right, and that was stop Dimitri.

_How much time do I have left? _

A frown fell upon her features, hidden away within seconds as her hand pulled the scarf over her mouth, eyes closing softly.

_No...I'll use every second of time I have left here to fix this. But...where do I start? _

It was a question she did not even need to ask, the name swirling within her mind before long.

_Hershel...maybe you can help me solve this little puzzle, like the old times. After all...you've solved every one I could not. _

Chuckling, she opened her eyes, continuing to head down the street, this time letting her hands drop to her side. Gently rubbing the watch's lid, she found herself smiling, despite the previous turning of events.

_I hope...I hope you remember me._

* * *

_[Whoa, I am so, so, SOOOO sorry for not updating this for so long, everyone! I guess my muse that I had going for Claire faded rather quickly, and I've been busy and all. So as a bit of a way to make it up to you, I decided to make this a bit longer than the first two chapters. There are more to come, too, so don't worry! I should be updating a tad more frequently!] _


End file.
